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Bangkok Art Biennale 2026: Bangkok’s major art showcase returns with international line-up

By Ellen Boonstra, Business Acumen’s Asia correspondent >>

BANGKOK will once again become a global stage for contemporary art when the Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 (BAB 2026) opens on October 29, running until February 28 next year.

Held across temples, museums, heritage sites, public spaces and major commercial districts, the fifth edition will bring art into some of Bangkok’s most recognisable cultural and commercial settings, offering visitors a different perspective on the city’s culture, history and creative scene.

Ellen Boonstra Curator Prof Dr Apinan Poshyananda Artistic Director Bangkok Art Biennale Image courtesy AME Imaginative

Ellen Boonstra Artwork Manit Sriwanichpoom Children of God 2025 Installation view 1200pxw

A growing case for business

Since launching in 2017, Bangkok Art Biennale has helped strengthen Bangkok’s position as a contemporary art hub in South East Asia. Previous editions have attracted more than 5 million visitors and featured more than 300 artists from around the world.

For businesses, the biennale also illustrates the economic potential of culture-driven tourism.

The 2022 edition generated an estimated 6.3 billion Thai baht (B6.3 billion) in economic value (about A$270 million), including B6.05 billion in added GDP (about A$260 million), according to the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).

The figures suggest that a major cultural event can generate economic activity beyond the exhibition itself, with benefits extending into tourism and related sectors.

The scale of the event has continued to grow. In its most recent edition alone, BAB 2024 attracted more than 1.2 million visitors across 11 venues, according to Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev) the biennale’s main sponsor.

ThaiBev highlighted BAB’s substantial – and growing – contribution to Bangkok’s tourism economy.

Ellen Boonstra Artwork Breda Lynch Blue Dyke Redux 2023. Meta Open Arts commission 2023 Meta Headquarters Dublin curated by Linda Shevlin

 Ellen Boonstra Artwork Yanran Chen Ego Triptych 2025 980pxw webres

Bangkok Art Biennale 2026 is realised through collaboration between cultural, tourism, government and private-sector organisations in Thailand. With ThaiBev as the major sponsor, BAB 2026’s partners include One Bangkok, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), TCEB, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), Kasikornbank, Toyota and Lexus, Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM), Ch. Karnchang and Amarin Group, among others.

The range of partners, spanning finance, infrastructure, transport and property, reflects the growing role of corporate investment in the arts and creative economy.

For Australian business travellers, this wider context is relevant as Thailand remains an important South East Asian market for Australia, with the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement supporting trade, services and investment between the two countries. Thailand and Australia also have strong creative industries links.

Exploring the theme: Angels & Mara

The theme for BAB 2026 is Angels & Mara, exploring the tension between guardians of light and forces of temptation, and opposing forces such as hope and despair, compassion and conflict, spirituality and materialism.

Inspired by ideas from Buddhist, Hindu and Western traditions, the exhibition examines how societies navigate uncertainty and change. Participating artists reflect on issues including identity, memory, environmental challenges, social transformation and the complexities of the modern world through their work. Ellen Boonstra Artist Arahmaiani cropped tight

The theme carries particular resonance in Bangkok, a city often described as the ‘City of Angels’ – where ancient traditions and rapid urban development exist side by side.

International line-up of leading artists

BAB 2026 has announced more than 40 established and emerging artists to date, with additional names due to be released. The line-up spans Asia, Europe, North America and beyond, working across painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance and multimedia.

Among the highlights is Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, whose provocative and deeply personal images have shaped contemporary photography for more than five decades, exploring the fragile boundaries between desire, morality, intimacy and loss. Ellen Boonstra Artist Tawan Wattuya cropped

French artist duo Pierre & Gilles will bring their distinctive combination of photography and hand-painted imagery, blending mythology, popular culture and fantasy.

Other major names include Japanese-Swiss artist Leiko Ikemura, recognised for her hybrid beings, landscapes and dreamlike figures; Indonesian artist Arahmaiani, whose work addresses social justice, spirituality, environmental concerns and intercultural dialogue; and Chinese artist Liu Jianhua, known for transforming everyday materials into reflections on fragility, absence and perception. Ellen Boonstra Artist Sin Wai Kin Photo by Holly Falconer

The line-up also brings in artists working at the intersection of technology and identity. Canadian-UK artist Sin Wai Kin builds alternate worlds across moving image, performance and writing to question idealised images and the collective gaze, while Chinese artist Yanran Chen explores alienation and resilience in the digital age through a recurring cyborg ‘girl’ figure. Japanese artist Sumi Kanazawa contributes large-scale installations built from layered newspaper drawings that dissolve linear notions of time.

Thai artists also play a central role, including Tawan Wattuya, whose expressive paintings merge political commentary and popular culture, and Udom Taephanich, a multidisciplinary artist whose work combines visual art, performance and humour.

Art across Bangkok's historic and modern landmarks

One of BAB’s defining features is its city-wide format, placing contemporary art inside the buildings and landmarks Bangkok residents and visitors already pass through, rather than confining it to a single venue.

Historic sites on the 2026 program include Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and Wat Prayoon (Temple of the Iron Fences), alongside cultural institutions including the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), Museum Siam, the National Museum Bangkok and the Art Centre, Silpakorn University. Ellen Boonstra Venue Temple of the Reclining Buddha or Wat Pho

The exhibition also extends into Bangkok’s commercial districts, with venues including One Bangkok, CentralWorld and Siam Paragon.

This puts art within the same spaces used by shoppers, office workers and tourists, linking the biennale to Bangkok’s wider commercial and cultural landscape.

For Australian visitors planning a Bangkok trip this autumn, BAB 2026 offers a way to combine business and leisure, pairing time in the city’s commercial districts with a contemporary art program spread across some of Bangkok’s most recognisable historic and modern landmarks.

www.bkkartbiennale.com Ellen Boonstra Venue Wat Arun cropped

Writer Ellen Boonstra is Business Acumen magazine’s roaming Asia correspondent.

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Hobart’s MONA cult museum sets its sights on the Chao Phraya

By Ellen Boonstra, Business Acumen’s Asia correspondent >>

SOUTHEAST ASIA’s contemporary art scene has spent the past few years attracting the kind of institutional heavyweights once reserved for Paris, London and New York.

Bangkok, in particular, has moved quickly from a minor stop to genuine contender, with the Bangkok Art Biennale, MOCA Bangkok and the recently opened Dib Bangkok all adding weight to the city’s case as a serious cultural destination. Ellen Boonstra 3 Press photo 1000pxw

The latest, and arguably most unexpected, name to enter the city’s art scene is Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Founded by Australian entrepreneur David Walsh, with funding from his professional gambling fortune, MONA opened in Hobart in 2011 and became known for its provocative exhibitions, immersive experiences and unconventional approach to museum design.

It has since drawn more than 5.2 million visitors and is widely credited with reshaping Hobart's identity from a quiet port city – and yacht racing finish line – into an international cultural-arts destination.

MONA and Thai-listed developer Asset World Corp (AWC), the company behind Asiatique The Riverfront, a heritage-inspired retail and entertainment destination on the Chao Phraya River, are partnering to develop MONA Bangkok at the site. Ellen Boonstra 4 Asiatique 1000pxw

AWC is majority-owned by the family of billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, founder of TCC Group, one of Thailand’s largest business empires. Ranked among Thailand's wealthiest individuals, Charoen built the group primarily through Thai Beverage (ThaiBev), the country's largest beverage company and producer of Chang beer.

Through AWC, TCC Group has expanded into hospitality, retail, office and mixed-use developments, with projects including Asiatique The Riverfront and Empire Tower, home to Nobu Bangkok (the highest Nobu restaurant in the world, with breathtaking views of the Bangkok skyline, continuing its internationally renowned blend of chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s contemporary Japanese cuisine with exotic Peruvian influences).

The MONA Bangkok project, expected to open in 2029, sits alongside a planned cross-river themed cable car connecting the site with AWC's mixed-use development on Charoen Nakhon Road. The cable car will incorporate elements of art, light, sound and technology into the river crossing experience, part of AWC’s wider plan to transform Asiatique into a larger cultural and lifestyle destination. Ellen Boonstra 5 MONA Hobart 1 1000pxw

Artfully from Hobart to Bangkok

MONA’s own trajectory makes it an unusual, but strategically logical, museum to expand overseas. Its track record, rather than a specific building or collection, appears to be what AWC is investing in.

“Having spent most of the last 25 years studying how museums work, AWC has presented us with a remarkable opportunity to take what we’ve learned to one of the great tourist centres of the world,” Mr Walsh said of MONA’s opportunity.

The Bangkok project will be led by Leigh Carmichael, chief executive and creative director of DarkLab, MONA's creative arm specialising in festivals, cultural programming and immersive experiences. Mr Carmichael has worked with Mr Walsh for more than 20 years and co-founded the MONA brand and the ‘Dark Mofo’ festival.

Mr Carmichael has said MONA Bangkok would not simply replicate the Hobart museum. Instead, it would develop its own identity around the theme of light, explored as both a physical phenomenon and a metaphor.

Chosen for its significance in Thai culture and religious tradition, the concept will be developed in collaboration with local artists rather than imported directly from Hobart.

Ellen Boonstra 2 an early rendering of mona bangkok 2 1000pxw

AWC’s cultural bet

For AWC, MONA Bangkok forms part of a broader strategy to create destinations that go beyond traditional real estate, combining commercial spaces with dining, entertainment, culture and visitor experiences.

At Asiatique, the cable car and the museum work in tandem, connecting mobility, art and cultural experience within a single riverside destination.

AWC chief executive Wallapa Traisorat described the museum as “a bridge between Thailand and Australia” linking it to the company’s wider sustainability and tourism goals.

Bangkok has already shown an appetite for turning private collections into public cultural institutions.

Dib Bangkokw (see Business Acumen story) which opened late last year from the Osathanugrah family's private collection, is the most recent example. MONA Bangkok differs by bringing an established international institution and its operating model into that mix, rather than building a museum around an existing local collection.

MONA Bangkok will add another cultural venue to Bangkok's growing riverside landscape, while testing whether MONA’s unconventional museum model can translate to a new international audience.

www.assetworldcorp-th.com

www.asiatiquethailand.com

Writer Ellen Boonstra is Business Acumen magazine’s roaming Asia correspondent.

 

Thailand wins $4.1b in EV chain investments as SE Asia auto hub pivots to ‘next-gen’ tech

From Ellen Boonstra, Business Acumen’s Asia correspondent >>

SOUTHEAST ASIA’s primary automotive manufacturing hub, Thailand has secured more than US$4.1 billion (about 137 billion baht) in investment pledges across its electric vehicle (EV) supply chain, solidifying its position as global carmakers realign their production networks toward clean energy.

According to newly released data from the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI), the capital injection spans 198 projects, covering the entire ecosystem, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid systems, battery manufacturing, critical components, and charging infrastructure. Thailand Board of Investment Narit Therdsteerasukdi Secretary General of the BOI

The investment surge has come as global automakers diversify supply chains away from geopolitical hotspots and establish regional hubs in Southeast Asia, where the potential markets are large.

Unlike regional competitors focusing solely on pure electric vehicles, Thailand’s policy framework supports a transition across all major propulsion technologies, including Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and BEVs.

“The transition to electric vehicles is both a global challenge and a massive opportunity,”  Narit Therdsteerasukdi, Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) and Secretary of the National EV Policy Board, said during a presentation at the International Electric Vehicle Technology Conference (iEVTech) in Bangkok this month.

“We must choose to be builders, not just consumers. By supporting all technologies — hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric — we allow legacy players and new entrants to invest and grow together, elevating Thai suppliers into the global value chain.”

This strategy is already paying off in the market according to regional analysts. In 2025, electrified vehicles accounted for over 40% of all new vehicle registrations in Thailand, with HEVs leading at 21.8%, closely followed by BEVs at 19.6%.

Broad-based EV manufacturing economy

The $4.1 billion investment pipeline is highly distributed, showing deep integration across the supply chain rather than top-level vehicle assembly alone:

  • Battery EVs (BEVs):US$1.18 billion (about 39.5 billion baht) across 18 projects, establishing an annual domestic production capacity of over 370,000 units.
  • Hybrids (HEV & PHEV):Combined investments of US$1.18 billion across 14 projects, capitalising on Japanese automakers’ legacy hybrid technologies.
  • Batteries and Energy Storage Systems (ESS):US$1 billion (about 33.5 billion baht) across 57 projects, securing localised battery cell and pack manufacturing.
  • Critical Components:US$373 million (about 12.5 billion baht) across 49 projects, targeting high-value parts such as drive motors, battery management systems (BMS), and power control units.
  • Charging Infrastructure:US$292 million (about 9.8 billion baht) across 42 projects, funding more than 22,900 charging stations nationwide, including more than 10,000 high-speed DC fast chargers.

This regulatory framework has pushed several major global automakers to localise production in Thailand.

Major brands hub through Thailand

Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing pioneered local luxury BEV production in Thailand starting in 2022, followed by a major wave of Chinese EV manufacturers — including BYD, Great Wall Motor, SAIC Motor, and Aion — which established domestic assembly lines in 2024.

The momentum continued into 2025 as Changan Auto and EV Primus launched their respective manufacturing operations, culminating in the 2026 production rollouts by South Korea’s Hyundai Mobility and China’s Omoda and Jaecoo. These manufacturing investments have culminated in the creation of more than 16,000 local jobs.

The BOI has also facilitated joint ventures and matchmaking through 18 ‘Sourcing Day’ events. These sessions have paired more than 800 qualified Thai parts manufacturers with multinational automakers, resulting in over 1,200 business matches.

The BOI has estimated that these sourcing links would generate over $1.79 billion (about 60 billion baht) in domestic procurement value, transitioning traditional tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers into the high-tech EV supply chain.

“Ultimately, we are leveraging 60 years of automotive expertise to position Thailand at the forefront of global mobility,” Mr Narit said. “Our goal is to ensure that local industry and local workforce are the ones driving this next chapter of growth.”

 

Writer Ellen Boonstra is Business Acumen magazine’s roaming Asia correspondent.

About Thailand’s Office of the Board of Investment
Established in 1966, the Office of the Board of Investment (BOI) has continuously played an essential role for over 60 years in promoting value-adding investment for the country, from both foreign and Thai investors, to enhance national competitiveness and drive towards a new era of sustainable and balanced growth. www.boi.go.th

  • Currency conversions are based on the Bank of Thailand’s average selling rate of about US$1 = THB 33.5.

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Discovering Petchaburi through its food economy

By Ellen Boonstra, Business Acumen magazine's Asia correspondent >>

MOST ITINERARIES in Thailand still follow a well-trodden route, with Bangkok, the southern islands and Chiang Mai in the north continuing to dominate travel plans, often feeling a little overrun in the process.

But just two to three hours from the capital, things feel markedly different. The pace slows, the crowds thin out, and you find a more laidback side of Thailand, still off the beaten track, where local life takes centre stage and the experience is more grounded and authentic.

Located on the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand, around 123 kilometres southwest of Bangkok, Petchaburi benefits from diverse ecosystems and strong agricultural resources that shape its culinary identity. 

Often described as the ‘City of Three Flavours’, it draws on the sweetness of palm sugar, the saltiness of coastal salt and the sourness of local limes. These elements don’t just define its food, they run through markets, kitchens and small-scale producers, giving the local cuisine a clear sense of place. 

It’s no surprise, then, that Petchaburi was designated a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2021, joining Phuket and later Songkhla as part of the network. The recognition reflects a long-established food culture built on local ingredients and small-scale production.

Earlier this year, Thailand’s Government Public Relations Department invited a group of international media to Petchaburi for a two-day field trip aimed at showcasing its potential for gastronomic tourism, with a focus on the province’s wider food economy.

The itinerary focused on the production side, from agriculture to small-scale manufacturing. Across a series of site visits, from coastal aquaculture to family-run food businesses, the trip traced a model of tourism where visitors engage directly with local industries rather than simply consuming finished products.

From coastline to confectionery

The first stop was a marine farm in Ban Laem District, developed under a royal initiative. The site operates as both a functioning aquaculture facility and a learning centre, demonstrating how coastal communities are moving towards more sustainable, higher-value production.  

Shrimp, shellfish and fish such as sea bass and grouper are cultivated alongside seaweed, including sea grapes, a niche product with growing culinary appeal.

Often referred to as green caviar, sea grapes are tiny, bead-like seaweed with a delicate, pearl-like appearance and a gentle popping texture. The model focuses on resource efficiency, reducing pressure on wild stocks while creating alternative income streams for local communities.

From there, the group moved inland to Uncle Anek’s Dessert Factory, a third-generation producer where traditional Thai sweets are being adapted for broader markets. Petchaburi has long been associated with desserts, many of which rely on egg yolks and palm sugar, giving them their distinctive richness and colour.

Here, recipes are being recalibrated with reduced sugar levels to better suit international tastes, alongside updated formats and packaging, often featuring local landmarks, designed with export in mind.

It reflects a broader shift towards value-added products that can travel beyond the local market.

Balancing tradition and adaptation

A visit to a palm sugar plantation in Ban Lat District offered a more traditional view. Production remains largely manual, from tapping toddy palm trees to boiling sap into sugar.

Once a staple of Thai cuisine, palm sugar is increasingly replaced by refined alternatives, placing these methods under pressure even as they become part of the tourism experience.

A worker well into his 60s climbed a palm tree to demonstrate the process first-hand, a reminder of the skill and labour involved. 

A nearby lime farm offered a more contemporary perspective. Operating under principles aligned with Thailand’s Sufficiency Economy philosophy, the farm has shifted from monoculture to a more diversified system, integrating multiple crops while minimising chemical use.

Limes remain a core product, but are increasingly processed into higher-value goods, including beverages and essential oils.

The approach reduces waste, spreads risk and creates additional income streams, showing how smaller producers are adapting to changing environmental and market conditions.

Petchaburi may not yet feature prominently on Thailand’s main tourist circuit, but its strength rests precisely in that.

By connecting visitors more closely to how food is grown, produced and adapted, Petchaburi offers a quieter, more grounded way to experience the country, one rooted in tradition but open to change.

www.tourismthailand.org/Destinations/Provinces/Phuket/228

Writer Ellen Boonstra is Business Acumen magazine’s roaming Asia correspondent.

Petchaburi (also sometimes spelled Phetchaburi) is part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network. www.unesco.org/creative-cities/phetchaburi

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Moreton Bay builds closer links with Japan

THE CITY of Moreton Bay, Queensland, recently strengthened its ties with Japan, ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games, as Mayor Peter Flannery signed a new trade-focused agreement with one of the economic giant’s leading business cities.

Mayor Flannery put pen to paper in early May when he met with Mayor Takashi Namba of Shizuoka City, the capital of a prefecture that is a major economic hub in Japan.

Shizuoka City announced its company leaders were keen to develop trade relationships with individual businesses in the Moreton Bay region, with its economic credentials of generating more than $830 million in economic output over the past year and being home to more than 33,000 businesses.

Mayor Namba led a delegation of 39 Shizuoka business and government leaders to Moreton Bay in August 2025, progressing a range of initiatives around aquaculture, retail, food and beverage, sport, research and education collaboration, especially partnerships with the University of the Sunshine Coast. City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery right and Mayor Takashi Namba of Shizuoka City sign the memorandum

The Shizuoka City memorandum of understanding with Moreton Bay aims to facilitate opportunities in trade, investment, tourism, education and research, and sport, including those around the 2027 Womens Softball World Cup ‘to be staged at Redcliffe and the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games centred on the adjacent Queensland capital of Brisbane.

“This agreement is an incredible opportunity for City of Moreton Bay to deepen our relationship with Japan, which is Queensland’s second largest export market,” Mayor Flannery said.

“It will benefit businesses in Moreton Bay with council facilitating trade relationships between them and Shizuoka City, providing a new avenue for locals to sell their products and services.”

Mayor Flannery led a week-long delegation to Japan after being personally invited and sponsored by the Governor of Tokyo to present at the Global City Network for Sustainability (GNETS) conference.

The delegation announced it had successfully built upon Moreton Bay Council’s relationship with Japan, which dates back nearly 35 years when its sister city relationship with Sanyo-Onoda was established.

www.japan.travel/en/destinations/tokai/shizuoka/

www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au

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Dutch Embassy sale signals new phase for prime Bangkok real estate

By Ellen Boonstra, Business Acumen Asia correspondent >>

THE NETHERLANDS has announced plans to sell its embassy compound in Bangkok and relocate to offices at Dusit Central Park, with the move expected as early as August.

Framed around efficiency and modernization, the decision has sparked strong opposition from the Dutch community and heritage advocates.

Beyond the immediate reaction, the sale reflects a broader shift in Bangkok, where historic embassy estates and their expansive green grounds are increasingly being repositioned as high-value commercial assets. 

The Dutch Embassy site is widely regarded as one of the most significant heritage properties on Wireless Road, known for its early 20th-century villa and unusually lush setting. At its centre is a residence dating to around 1915, built during the reign of King Vajiravudh.

The property passed through several notable owners before being acquired by the Dutch government in 1948 as its first permanent embassy in Thailand. Since then, it has served as a diplomatic hub, distinguished by its architectural character and rare green space within an otherwise dense urban district, adjacent to the US Embassy compound.

Prime location

From a real estate perspective, the site is exceptional. Spanning about 20 rai, or 3.2 hectares (32,000 square metres), it is one of the largest remaining freehold parcels in Bangkok’s most tightly held prime corridor. Land values in this area are projected to reach up to 3.5 million baht per square wah, or roughly 875,000 baht per square metre, approaching record levels. On this basis, the site could be worth around 30 billion baht, or about A$1.2-1.4 billion.

If redeveloped, particularly as a landmark ultra-luxury mixed-use project, total development value could exceed 100 billion baht, or roughly A$4.2 billion. With comparable transactions already nearing peak pricing levels, the Wireless–Lang Suan–Ploenchit corridor continues to define Bangkok’s most competitive CBD market, attracting both leading domestic developers and global capital.

A comparable reference point is the former British Embassy site. In 2018, the UK Government sold the remaining 23 to 25 rai (3.68 to 4.0 hectares) of its Wireless Road landholding to a joint venture between Central Group and Hongkong Land for approximately £420 million, roughly A$750-800 million. 

At the time, it was the largest land transaction in Thailand. The historic embassy buildings were later demolished, and the site was redeveloped as Central Embassy, a high-end retail complex.

This shift has accelerated with large-scale developments such as One Bangkok, a multi-billion-dollar integrated district launched in 2019 and opening in phases from 2024.

Development led by TCC Group

Backed by TCC Assets, the real estate arm of Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi’s TCC Group, in partnership with Frasers Property, it represents a new class of institutional, long-term investment that is reshaping land values across central Bangkok.

Given the scale, location, and pricing expectations of the Dutch Embassy site, any sale is likely to attract a limited pool of highly capitalized buyers. Groups such as Central Group, along with entities linked to Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, would be considered natural contenders, alongside international developers seeking a foothold in one of Bangkok’s most tightly held precincts. 

In contrast, the Australian Government has taken a different approach.

After selling its former embassy site in Sathorn in 2017 for about 4.6 billion baht, or around A$180 million, it reinvested in a new purpose-built embassy on Wireless Road.

The current Australian compound is a modern, low-rise campus designed for long-term use, reflecting a strategy that balances asset monetization with maintaining a permanent diplomatic presence in a prime location.

Writer Ellen Boonstra is Business Acumen magazine's roaming Asia correspondent.

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AWU launches campaign to end ‘super grab’ from PALM scheme workers

THE Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), alongside the Approved Employers of Australia, has launched a campaign to pressure the Federal Government to change rules that see guest farm workers having 35 percent of their superannuation seized by the government on departure.

The AWU is calling on Superannuation Minister Stephen Jones to urgently step in and change the system that taxes Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) workers’ super and makes it administratively difficult to get it paid into a Pacific bank account. 

The AWU’s campaign is calling on the government to make four changes to the settings of superannuation for workers on the PALM Scheme: 

Simplify superannuation paperwork
Streamline the process by allowing PALM workers to complete all superannuation-related paperwork upon arrival in Australia, reducing administrative burdens and delays when accessing their savings.

Eliminate Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) withdrawal taxation
Remove the high withdrawal taxes currently imposed on PALM workers’ superannuation, ensuring that they can retain more of their savings for their future.

Facilitate portability to home retirement funds
Where possible, create options for PALM workers to transfer their superannuation to independent retirement funds in their home countries, helping them build long-term financial security.

Establish preferred superannuation funds
Promote Australian Super and Prime Super as preferred funds in the PALM guidelines to simplify access, prevent for-profit exploitation, and support targeted campaigns to educate workers on their super options.

AWU national secretary Paul Farrow said, “The PALM scheme is not just about sourcing labour, it’s meant to engender good relations with our Pacific neighbours. It’s pretty tough to see how seizing 35 percent of workers’ superannuation is sending the right message.

“I think it’s a very bad look for Australia, especially considering what has happened in this nation’s history, to be unreasonably seizing the hard-earned wages of Pacific workers. PALM workers tell us it leaves a very sour taste in the mouth, and that’s the very opposite of what the scheme is meant to achieve.

“Dodgy employers and labour hire firms have been a real blight on the PALM scheme during the Coalition years in government when the Nationals turned a blind eye to abuse,” Mr Farrow said. “Although problems definitely persist, the Albanese Government has done a commendable job at cleaning up the mess. But this 35 percent cent super grab is just a stupid own goal.

“This is honestly one of the easiest changes I can imagine,” he said. “I’ll be personally recommending to Stephen Jones that he push this through as a matter of urgency. What reasonable person would stand in his way?

“Meanwhile the current administrative process confounds, delays and often denies PALM workers thousands of dollars in earnings. According to a recent study, a third of all workers in the scheme are just unable to access the super they earned.”

www.awu.net.au

 

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